An elegant restaurant wedding setting


When my brother and sister-in-law-to-be asked me to be their wedding photographer, I was excited to learn that they would be hosting their wedding party in Swansea, South Wales - where our family is from. This intimate and non-traditional affair was to be held at a restaurant close to Swansea bay, at the Welsh House Swansea (formerly know as Juniper Place - as it was at the time of the wedding).


Elegant and stylishly fashionable, this intimate restaurant venue was the perfect backdrop for timeless wedding photos for the happy couple. I'm particularly proud of this collection, which was featured on the website of national wedding dress supplier, wed2b, as part of their 'real brides' blog.

Welcome banner for the bridge and grooms wedding party adorned in green foliage
Dried flower arrangements around the restaurant wedding setting
Wedding cake at the restaurant
Distant shot of the restaurant table arrangement, showing dried flowers on rustic tables
The ceremony setup at the Welsh restaurant for this Swansea wedding
Table on entry to the restaurant
Groomsmen getting ready - sorting each other's bow ties - before the restaurant wedding ceremony
Young lad arriving in his suit for the wedding ceremony
The groom and some of his team, dressing in black suits and bow ties before the wedding
Brother and sister, dressed smartly, arm-in-arm before the ceremony
All the men in the groom's family gather for a pre-ceremony group photo
Mother in blue dress walks her son to the aisle at the front of the restaurant
Father brings the bride in, dressed in a beautiful Wed2b white wedding dress
The groom is all smiles as his bride meets him at the bottom of the makeshift restaurant aisle
The bridge laughs as their friend jokes, leading this intimate restaurant wedding service
Cheeky faces at the alter during the wedding service
Bride and groom reach out for each other's arms during their wedding ceremony
The bride and groom embrace for their first kiss
Bride and groom walk back up the aisle environmentally friendly confetti inside the restaurant
A classic documentary, black & white image of the bride and her long veil
The bride's family pose for their formal portrait after the wedding ceremony
The groom's family pose for their formal wedding portrait after the ceremony
Most of the males from the groom's extended family pose for their formal portrait
Bridge and groom, dressed in classic wedding attire, kiss whilst cutting the cake
Bridge and groom first dance in the intimate low-light restaurant setting
Bridge and groom embrace during their first dance in the intimate low-light restaurant setting
Groom jokes to the bridge whilst embraced during their first dance
Groom and best friends in hysterics as the wedding party kicks off
Groom looking suave, popping his collar as the restaurant becomes the dance floor
Groom and friends form a human pyramid in the middle of the dance floor!
Friends dance as the wedding party continues into the late hours
Wedding official and his wife dance together at the wedding party
Blurred lights emphasis energy and motion as the restaurant wedding party continues

A unique wedding gift


On my wedding day we were absolutely stunned when, the next morning, we were opening our wedding gifts and found amongst them a printed and framed photo from the day before! We later found out that our friend had printed a photo from her phone at a nearby supermarket before the evening event!


Inspired by this ingenuity, I knew this would make an amazing gift for my brother and new sister-in-law, so my wife and I brought this gorgeous frame here, had the first dance photograph printed on my portable Canon Selphy printer, and presented it to them at the breakfast (also at this fantastic restaurant venue) the next morning!

Dried flower bouquet accompanies a framed table photo of the first dance from the night before

Beach Wedding Portraits


Following the reception, we ventured out to the coastline to capture some truly unique and special bride & groom portraits. You can find out more about why this location was so special for our happy couple in the next blog post: Wedding Portraits at Three Cliffs Bay.

Christopher J is a Gloucester based photographer, specialising in portraits for the walls of your home. Also available as a Cheltenham photographer, normally covering Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. For special events like this one, I'm willing to travel that little bit farther!